Oil and gas resources present enormous opportunities for the economic development of low income economies, but poor management of these resources can result in dire consequences for the foundations of the resource-endowed nation. The discovery of oil and gas in Ghana is as significant as the policies and measures to ensure optimum benefits to the nation. This paper evaluates the sustainability of petroleum production in the light of the medium term policy structure, the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA). In particular, the economic contribution of oil and gas to Ghana’s GDP and sustainable investment options for petroleum revenues were examined using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The evidence suggests that at current production levels, petroleum is not a significant contributor to Ghana’s GDP after adjusting for the contribution from other sectors of the economy. The consistent appreciation of Ghana’s real effective exchange rate between 2010 and 2013 led to a deterioration of the competitiveness of the non-oil sector and declining contribution of the agricultural sector to GDP; and further eroded the net impact of petroleum production. Investing petroleum proceeds in the non-oil sector and expansion of the export base are a viable option for utilising petroleum revenues.
This paper articulates the potential implications of Brexit on energy policy and security in the United Kingdom (UK). Given the uncertainties associated with the decision to leave the European Union (EU), the need to consider its potential effects on the UK's energy sector becomes even more pertinent. Through the lens of a few widely reviewed trade regimes in the light of Brexit, it can be observed that while UK energy policies are unlikely to change drastically, Brexit nevertheless threatens the UK's capacity to safeguard its energy supply. The uncertainties following Brexit could arguably starve the UK's upstream petroleum, electricity, and renewable energy sectors of their required investments. Both short and long-term impacts could result in UK residents paying more per unit of energy consumed in a "hard Brexit" scenario, where the UK exits the Internal Energy Market (IEM) and must trade with the EU under World Trade Organisation rules. While a hard Brexit could aid the growth of the nascent shale gas industry, a negotiated withdrawal that includes some form of access to the IEM (a "soft Brexit") would be more beneficial for the future of energy security in the UK.
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